The White House has defended WNBA star Sophie Cunningham following backlash over her comments regarding transgender athletes in women's sports. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that men should not compete in women's sports, calling Cunningham's stance "common sense."
"It's completely ludicrous that anyone could support that," Leavitt said. "It's even more ludicrous that you do have Sophie Cunningham, a female athlete herself, very accomplished in her own right, coming forth and speaking that truth that men should(n't) play in women's sports."
Leavitt further characterized the criticism Cunningham received from "Democrats and left-wing figures" as "astonishing" and indicative of them being "out of touch with the American public on this issue, which again, is an 80/20 issue."
Cunningham, a player for the Indiana Fever, initially voiced her support for the movement to protect women's sports in an interview with ESPN, stating that women "shouldn't have to go against biological men." Her remarks drew criticism online, with some WNBA fans calling for the league to penalize her.
Amid the controversy, Cunningham appeared to reinforce her position through an Instagram post on Thursday, sharing photos of her arrival at a recent game with the caption, "I said what I said." She also initially tagged the location as "Women's Sports" before altering it.
Before her team's game against the Connecticut Sun on Wednesday night, Cunningham addressed the reaction, telling reporters, "There's going to be some negative comments but there's also a lot of positive comments too. It is what it is."
She added, "We're all human, I really don't care what other people have to say. I said what I said, I think it's common sense and I think I will always believe in that. I stand on what I said."
When asked if her outspokenness signaled a move into politics, Cunningham denied aspiring to be politically active on other issues, stating, "I am not a very political person but I have beliefs, I have morals and I will always be true to who I am."
"When it comes to protecting young girls and women in sports, I feel very strongly about that," she continued. Cunningham emphasized that her comments were not intended to be hateful towards the transgender community, stating, "I extend love, I don't dislike anyone. I think there's room for everyone here and there's room to love everyone."
Cunningham clarified her position, saying, "I am there to love but I am also there to love biological women and I think that there are rights that need to be protected. Like I said, I am going to stand true to that. I'll never falter in my beliefs for that."
This is not the first time Cunningham has faced scrutiny for her views on transgender athletes. In 2022, she drew criticism after sharing a post from CBS Sports host Josh Pate that questioned the inclusion of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas on a women's team. At the time, Cunningham released a statement asserting she stood with athletes and advocated for fair competition.
The debate over transgender athletes in sports has become increasingly politicized. Former President Donald Trump issued an executive order aiming to block transgender athletes from participating in girls' or women's sports, and the Supreme Court has upheld state-level bans on transgender athletes.